Reign of Embershield
In the dark confines of space lies a series of alternative realities, some good, and some bad. Others... Downright evil, and full of grim darkness, or made into a dystopian setting. One wouldn't want to end up here, unless you were an Elf of Quel'dorei descent. Here, those who once oppressed the Quel'dorei are now oppressed themselves. Alternated History In this timeline, without the Scourge, or the constant threat of the Legion, there were no super natural forces to really bind the Alliance and Horde into temporary alliances. As such the two factions have held a constant war, one which has slowly been bringing about the destruction of the planets ecosystems, animal population, and even the terrain itself. Declaring the War on Azeroth Telriah Embershield had always found that the Alliance and Horde war was tearing Azeroth apart, and felt that after the events in Pandaria, that something needed to be done- Something drastic. Rather than form the neutral council she had in another timeline, this Telriah was twisted, going on to form her own personal army, made up of outcasts of the Horde and Alliance, and various other races, such as the Gnolls, Kobolds, Murlocs and more. She bided her time, waiting until after the when she knew both factions would be severely weakened. Then, she struck, waging war across the two continents with an amassed army that rivaled both Alliance and Horde. The Alliance was the first to fall, with Stormwind being the first grand victory, in which Telriah staged a coup by having three hundred men infiltrate the city over a course of two weeks, then she herself had snuck into Stormwind. When the time was right, Telriah, donning a simple, pale blue dress and cowl, had her scabbard on her belt, and armor under the dress- A lightweight form of it that was easily hidden under the clothing. She called for the people of Stormwind to hear her on the Cathedral steps... "DEATH... To the Horde!" The people cheered, unaware of what was to happen, as Telriah had paused her speech for the cheering to die down. "And death to the Alliance!" She started once more, waiting for the shocked expressions and screams to fade, as her men started un-masking their disguises, cutting down any nearby Alliance soldier within the vicinity. Truly, the war for Azeroth had started. And yet, as it all went down, Telriah continued her speech, all the while ripping off the dress and cowl she wore, and re-donning her belt with the sword and scabbed, revealing the armor she had beneath. A tabard showed her true allegiance, to the newly christened Imperium of Embershield, and its first conquest, Stormwind. "For too long, Azeroth has faced war. Human against Human, Elves against Trolls, Dwarves against Dwarves, Orcs and Humans, and now, Alliance against Horde. I decree that we unify Azeroth under one force! Under one banner! Unity through conquest! Peace through power!" And with it, she slew the nearest of three soldiers converging on her, which had been a Sir Neo Starstrider, an Alliance patriot who had served in the Silver Hand and was still serving as a Knight-Champion. Following the fight in the Cathedral, her men and herself stormed the Stormwind Keep, and offered Varian a chance to surrender- A chance he did not take, and was slain then and there by Telriah herself, along with killing Prince Anduin. Battle for Blackrock Pass Moving forward with her plans for domination of Azeroth, Telriah began her subjugation of the Kingdom of Stormwind, enslaving those of Duskwood, Stranglethorn, Redridge and Westfall under her iron fist, and forming the official Imperial Army of Embershield, and began her march forward to the North. Her army, numbering now within the thousands, began its movements through Blackrock Pass, an area of verdant valleys, heavy forests, and the mountain of its namesake, Blackrock. The pass itself went through the mountain, which sat in the center of the area, and walled off the Southern half and Northern half, effectively making it a necessary need to move through the pass. As the Imperial Army marched through, they began to encounter resistance, in the grouping of Humans and Dwarves from the Alliance forces stationed in the Southern part of Farrisdale, the area where Blackrock resided. Unfortunately, the garrison within Farrisdale numbered only six hundred, compared to the marching army of four thousand from the newly founded Imperium of Embershield. Those who managed to survive and retreat had pulled back into Blackrock, setting up a defensive barricade within the first tunnel of the various networks, whilst one flew to Ironforge by gryphon, requesting reinforcements. When reinforcements did arrive, by way of Dwarven Steam Tanks and Gnomish Airships, they found nothing more than the slaughtered defenders, and an army awaiting them within the pass, setting up a field headquarters, and preparing for the march North to Ironforge. It became a prolonged battle, with both sides utilizing barricades and improvised walls, firing off arrows and bullets at eachother, and one side attempting an attack, and then pulling back before taking too many losses. The cycle repeated for weeks, until eventually, attrition won, and the Imperial Army forced the Ironforge-Gnomeregan joint offensive back. Then, and only then, did the Alliance resort to one thing they never thought they would have to. The Horde was called upon in their hour of need as the Imperium pushed further and further North, through Farrisdale townships, villages, and its capital, Collinsford, a fortress-city that retained a garrison of two thousand. The Imperium put the Steam Tanks left behind by the Dwarves to use, demolishing the walls and towers, and pushing through to the city. Once it had been conquered, another Field HQ had been set up, and they waited, drawing on reinforcements through conscription. Invasion of Ironforge = Timeline Differences * The Orcs did not fall for Kil'jaedens deceit, and thus, never turned to Fel. He destroyed Draenor, forcing the Orcs to Azeroth. The Orcs, as such, could not destroy Stormwind and instead, a majority escaped to Kalimdor on captured Alliance ships. * The Second War was a guerilla war for the Orcs. * The Third War never happened, as Kel'Thuzad never became curious about Necromancy, and could not be pulled to the Lich Kings side, who in this universe was some poor soul that Kil'jaeden plucked from the Nether. * Due to the lack of Kel'Thuzad, the Scourge never gained fruition, Arthas never turned corrupt, nor ransacked Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas. This means there are no Sin'dorei in this universe, and the Silver Hand never disbanded. * There is no Argent Dawn, or Crusade, nor the Scarlet Crusade. * The Horde is composed of; Orcs, Ogres, Darkspear Trolls, Goblins and Kaldorei. It is primarily a Shamanistic Coalition, with Kaldorei's Druidic aspects and the Ogres brute strength added in. * Likewise, the Alliance is composed of; Humans from all seven Kingdoms, the Dwarves, Gnomes, and Quel'dorei. * Due to the lack of the Third War, Dalaran was not destroyed, rebuilt, and turned into a floating city. * Alterac never turned traitor either, due to the Orcs not posing a serious threat. * Greymane leads a rebel cell against the Imperium, and only has one arm. Category:Alternate Settings Category:Embershield Protectorate